Feed valve for continuous cookers



Nov. 30, 1943. R. D. Fox

FEED VALVE FOR CONTINUOUS COOKERS Filed Aug. 25, 1941 Patented Nov. 30,1943 FEED VALVE FOR CONTINUOUS COOKEBS Richard D. Fox, San Jose, Calm,assignor to Food Machinery Corporation, San Jose, Calif., a corporationof Pelaware Application August 25, 1941, Serial No. 408,227

4Clahns.

This invention relates to the art of canning and is particularlyconcerned with the provision of an improved feed mechanism suitable foruse in connection with machines, such as continuous cookers, forprocessing commodities packed in glass containers.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a feed valve for usein connection with continuous cookers or the like, which is adapted tohandle glass containers without danger of breaking the glass when thecontainers are introduced into the valve.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide a feed valve ofthe character referred to in which the valve pockets are provided withsuitable shock absorbing means which permits glass containers to bedropped into the pockets without danger of breakage.

The invention will be disclosed as applied to a continuous cooker of thegeneral type disclosed in the patent to A. It. Thompson, Reissue No.15,334, dated April 11, 1922.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a vertical transverse section through the feed valve of thecooker.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary section through one pocket of thevalve.

Fig. 3 is a detail view in plan of the interior of the pocket.

As shown in Fig. l, the cooker is provided with an elevator l having anendless conveyor II which carries the containers l2 up to the feed valveIS. The feed valve-comprises a cylindrical casing it having an inlet I!at the top thereof and an outlet 16 disposed in registry with an openingprovided in the shell iii of the cooker. A valve turret I! mounted on ashaft 20 rotates within the casing ll. The turret has a series ofpockets 2| formed in the periphery thereof for receiving the containers.Each pocket 2| has four walls, the outside walls 22, 23 (Fig. 2) beingdisposed parallel to each other and perpendicular to the axis of theturret. The other two walls are provided by partitions 24 which, asshown in Fig. 1, extend radially from the axis of the turret.

Disposed in the bottom of each of the pockets 2| is a thin flexiblebrass plate 25 which is supported on four pads 2|, 21, 28, 20 (Fig. 3)formed integrally with the turret I! and projecting above the level ofthe floor II (Fig. 2) of the pocket. The plate is rigidly secured to thepads by means of screws II. It will be noted by reference toFlgs.2and3that thepadsonwhichtheplate thereof, leaving a space(indicated by the numeral 32 in Fig. 2) under the central portion of theplate. This is an important feature of the invention because it isessential that the center of the plate be free and unsupported to permitthe plate to flex.

In operation the turret I9 is driven in timed relationship with theelevator conveyor I I so that one of the pockets 2| is presented to theinlet II in time to receive a container dropped from the conveyor. Forexample, as shown in Fig. l, the container 33 has Just dropped from thespace 34 in the conveyor into the pocket, The thin brass plate 25 byyielding slightly serves to cushion the impact of the container when itlands in the bottom of the pocket and thus prevents breakage thereof.The container is then carried around clockwise by rotation of the turretuntil it arrives at the outlet IS in the casing through which itgravitates to the pusher rails 35 on the reel 38 which rotates withinthe shell of the cooker. As is well known in machines of this type, thecanway 31 secured to the interior of the shell guides the continers in ahelical path through the cooker while the contents of the containers arebeing subjected to the heat treatment. Cookers of this type are usuallyoperated under pressure, particularly when handling glass containerswhere the pressure serves to maintain the covers on the containers whilethe contents are cooking. Accordingly, as is necessary in pressurecookers, the turret i9 is provided with seals 38 which are carried bythe partitions 24 and which contact the casing It to prevent the escapeof steam through the valve.

I prefer to make the plate 25 of thin sheet brass, brass being thepreferable material on account of its ability to withstand corrosion.The plate should be relatively thin so that it will have sufllcientelasticity to permit it to yield when the glass container strikes it. Iprefer also to rigidly mount the plate at its extremities, as shown, so

that it will be securely held in place in the pocket of the turret. Thisconstruction, which does not involve the use of any moving parts orelements which might be subject to. fatigue or fracture, makes fordurability and reliability in operation.

In actual operation I have found that the embodiment of my invention ina pressure cooker eliminates the breakage difliculty experienced withglass containers, whereas if the glass containers are introduced intothe feed valve l3 and are allowed to fall directly onto the floor III ofthe pocket, they frequently break.

is supported are disposed at the four corners An advantage of theconstruction herein digclosed is that it provides just suiiicientcushioning to keep the containers from breaking, without, however,introducing any undesirable complications, such as excessive bouncingand rebounding of the container, which might result in chipping andcracking thl: containers, upsetting the containers in the pockets, andpossibly interfering with the proper operation oi the machine.

Having thus described my invention and in what manner the same may beused, what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is: i

l. A feed valve for a continuous cooker comprising a casing having aninlet in the upper portion thereof, a turret rotatable in-said casinghaving pockets therein adapted to be successively presented to saidinlet upon rotation of said turret, each of said pockets having adepressible cushioning means therein, said cushioning means comprising aflexible sheet of material, and means to support said sheet in saidpocket so that the central portion thereof which comes in contact withthe container is spaced vapartfromthepocketwallsoastobei'reeto yieldwhen the container falls thereon.

2. A feed valve for a continuous cooker comprising a casing having aninlet in the upper portion thereof, a turret rotatable in said casinghaving pockets therein adapted to be successively presented to saidinlet upon rotation of said turret, each of said pockets having adepressible cushioning means therein, said cushioning means comprising athin sheet of metal. and means to secure the extremities of said sheetto the pocket with the central portion of said sheet spaced apart fromthe wall of said pocket.

3. A feed valve for a continuous cooker comprising a casing having aninlet in the upper portion thereof, a turret rotatable in said casinghaving pockets in the periphery thereof adapted to be successivelybrought under said inlet, depressible cushioning means in the bottom ofeach pocket to break the fall of the container into the pocket from saidinlet, said cushioning means comprising a thin metal plate, means tosupport said plate spaced apart from the bottom of said pocket, saidsupporting means being disposed on either side of a plane containing theaxis of the container when the container is in contact with said platewhereby the central portion of said plate is free to yield when thecontainer is dropped thereon.

' 4. A feed valve for a continuous cooker comprising a casing having aninlet in the upper portion thereof, a turret rotatable in said casinghaving pockets in the periphery thereof adapted to be successivelybrought under said inlet, depressible cushioning means in the bottom ofeach pocket to break the fall of the container into the pocket from saidinlet, said cushioning means comprising a thin metal plate, means tosupport said plate spaced apart from the bottom of said pocket, saidsupporting means being disposed on either side of a plane containing theaxis of the container when the container is in contact with said platewhereby the central portion of said plate is free to yield when thecontainer is dropped thereon, and means to rigidly attach said plate tosaid supporting means.

RICHARD D. FOX.

